Vice President Kamala Harris is facing a crisis that could end her White House chances.

Harris has billed herself (unsuccessfully) as the candidate most in tune with blue-collar workers despite one of the nation’s largest labor unions declining to endorse her. Now, she is facing a maritime strike that could put a full stop to her bid for the presidency. The Biden-Harris administration is just days away from up to 25,000 dockworkers striking at U.S. ports along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The strike would wreak havoc on American supply chains and send prices soaring across the country.

Note to voters: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris got the PRO (Union) Act stripped from Build Back Better. They also broke a Rail Strike by OUTLAWING it! They are blatantly anti worker. https://t.co/fcquOKQ36s

— Robert (Durden) (@realrobdurden) August 5, 2024

The International Longshoremen’s Association announced a historic strike that would force American ports to a screeching halt if the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) doesn’t meet worker demands for wage and automation protection. If the Biden-Harris administration fails to head their requests, the move could cost the U.S. around $5 billion a day in trade, disrupt America’s supply chain and send inflation through the roof right before the election.

The International Longshoremen’s Association has given 60-day notice for a strike that would have massive economic impact—billions of dollars per day. Negotiations broke down over allegations that certain ports automated union work, @joe_dmh reports: https://t.co/JiILf31BFw

— Labor Notes (@labornotes) August 12, 2024

The average American is already suffering under the weight of the Biden-Harris economy. This strike would raise the price of energy, food and shipping by 40-60 percent, according to the Cleveland Federal Reserve.

“A sleeping giant is ready to roar on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, if a new Master Contract Agreement is not in place,” ILA President Harold J. Daggett said in a statement. “My members have been preparing for over a year for that possibility of a strike.”

In just a few days, a strike at our ports can impact supply chains & consumer prices. Where is our President. We have urged him to intervene to prevent this looming disaster. pic.twitter.com/8pyQeXLwRk

— Office of Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (@RepMalliotakis) September 27, 2024

Sean Higgins, a labor and employment expert at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Americans should expect the Biden-Harris administration to step in and force a deal with ILA and USMX.

Suppose they do weigh in with similar tactics to the bill President Joe Biden signed blocking the 2022 rail strike, imposing a contract on 115,000 rail workers. In that case, it’s likely to upset the union movement ahead of the presidential election.

Rail workers were angry with the Biden-Harris administration’s intervention in their strike, with one roadway mechanic, Reece Murtagh, telling NPR he felt Biden “turned his back on” them.

“Joe relied on us to get him home to his family,” Murtagh said. “But when it was his turn to help us out… to better our life, he turned his back on us.”

This is the most egregious part of Biden’s statement asking Congress to preemptively stop a rail strike. 4 unions representing 55% of rail workforce voted to reject this deal. Dems still control both chambers of Congress & could improve the deal. But Biden explicitly says not to. pic.twitter.com/kdiHwVMiku

— Jeff Schuhrke (@JeffSchuhrke) November 29, 2022

The looming strike puts Harris as a prominent opponent in a fight she can’t win. If her administration steps in and forces ILA to take a deal its workers do not want, it may stave off an economic crisis, but it will hurt her ability to win over a massive voting bloc (blue-collar workers) in swing states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, where several major U.S. ports are located. Still, if they don’t intervene, the American family will see their buying power decrease significantly again, pulling more votes away from her campaign.

AUTHOR

Mary Rooke

Commentary and analysis writer.

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